Many people who came to seek their fortune in the gold country failed to strike it rich, but ended up contributing their unique abilities and energies in much more interesting ways. This show is dedicated to just such a man — Andrew Hallidie, the inventor of San Francisco’s world famous cable cars. He was a remarkable character who turned the unique opportunities presented by the gold rush era and his own natural abilities into an invention that changed our fair city forever.

Hi Richard, I’m so glad you asked what my favorite shows were. I have a hard time picking just a few but the ones that come to mind and that I have discussed with friends are
1. #33: andrew smith hallidie â€” father of the cable car
2. #51: the columbarium and the caretaker
3.#39: the great diamond hoax

thanks for all you do to make the city so interesting to us out of towners!

For more about Hallidie’s role as head of the Mechanics’ Institute, promoter of trade schools, influenial leader in the formation of the SF Public Library and the founding of the University of California, see: Four Books, 300 Dollars and a Dream: The History of the First 150 Years of the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco” S.F., 2005